‘Dragged by hair, wrapped in Israeli flag’: Activists claim Greta Thunberg mistreated in detention

Activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza, alleged that Swedish campaigner GretaThunbergg was reportedly mistreated during her detention, including being forced to wear an Israeli flag.

Greta Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, along with other activists, after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on October 1, 2025.(AFP)

Two of the activists, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag. Around 137 activists were detained by Israel for taking part in seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported.

Another activist ErsinÇelik told Anadolu news agency that Greta was dragged by her hair and assaulted by forces.

“They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik told Anadolu news agency.

While Israel did not immediately comment on the issue, earlier, its foreign ministry described reports that detainees had been mistreated as “complete lies”.

The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.

Also read: Why was Greta Thunberg detained from Gaza-bound aid flotilla

‘Treated us like animals’: What activists said

Activist Hazwani Helmi and Windfield Beaver, said that Greta was shoved and forced to play a terrorist. “It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.

Windfield Beaver, aged 43, said that Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda”, describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, arrived.

Israel has faced criticism and international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.

Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were “safe and in good health”, adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations “as quickly as possible”.

In a separate post on X, it accused the flotilla members of deliberately obstructing the deportation process, without providing evidence.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days.”I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights”, Tajani wrote on X.

Also read: Israeli UN envoy calls Gaza aid flotilla ‘PR stunt’: ‘Only interested in provocation’

A first group of Italians from the flotilla, with four parliamentarians, arrived in Rome on Friday.

Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian Jews who took part in the mission, said that those who prevented activists from reaching Gaza were the ones who acted illegally; the activists were the ones who acted legally.

“We were brutally stopped … brutally taken hostage”, said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.

According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medications, and toilets. They were also “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted ‘Free Palestine,'” Adalah said.

Dehydration, bed bugs: Swedish foreign ministry informed of Greta’s condition

Further, an email was sent by the Swedish foreign ministry to people close to Thunberg, and seen by the news outlet The Guardian. The email mentions that an official who has visited the activist in prison said she claimed she was detained in a cell infested with bedbugs, with too little food and water.

The email said that the embassy met with Greta, who informed them of dehydration and receiving insufficient food and water. “She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs,” the email said. Thunberg also talked about harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.

The email also mentions another detainee who reportedly told another embassy that they had seen Thunberg being forced to hold flags while pictures were taken. “She wondered whether images of her had been distributed,” the Swedish ministry’s official added.

Another participant of the Sumud Flotilla said that Greta was dragged by the hair, beaten and forced to kiss the Israeli flag. “They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.

Israel denies allegations

Denying the allegation by Adalah, Israel said that all detainees were given access to water, food, and restrooms. They were not denied access to legal counsel, and “all their legal rights were fully upheld,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

The flotilla, which departed in late August, was the most recent effort by activists to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been conducting a military campaign since the deadly October 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli officials consistently condemned the mission as a publicity stunt and cautioned against breaching what they described as a “lawful naval blockade.”